The
complete Conlon Nancarrow 's studio belongs today to the Paul Sacher Foundation, in Basel. I
decided to publish this text for the purpose of curiosity and diffusion, just
for the Nancarrow's Fans. Further, up to date, precise information should be consulted at the archives of the P.S. Foundation.

This information is quite reliable just because it reflects the studio as it was in Mexico, not as it is now in Basel. If you decide to
quote it, please do it this way: "Carlos Sandoval, Nancarrow's studio and
libraries in 1991-92: a general description published in www.carlos-sandoval.de/nancarrow/libraries.htm"

This is an overall description of Conlon Nancarrow's books and records collections
[as I found and catalogued them in the years defined in the head of this
article]. In addition, it attempts to portray his studio and work
environment. It is significant that Mr. Nancarrow worked in complete solitude from 1940 to nearly 1985 so alone in fact, that his wife was not even familiar with his studio until quite recently. Therefore, the studio as I found it reflected the complete and untouched trajectory of the composer :
since his first readings and attempts in percussion-like player-piano music, to the last results: a complete collection of more than 6500 books, and more than 65 player-piano rolls, punched by him.

[ The overall
condition of the studio was terrible : thousands of news papers as old as 20 years; many one-meter high (or more) piles of books; dust everywhere, thousands of manuscript scores, punching scores, sketches, letters, rolls,
records, magazines, tools, piano supplies... it was like a contemporary Leonardo da Vinci's abandoned workshop. It looked like if Nancarrow was unaware of anything but reading, punching rolls, smoking, drinking and
making music. I found several hidden, full or empty bottles of cheap vodka, many very old packets of non-filter Cuban "Partagαs"
cigarettes (he gave me some, and they still are the best cigarettes I have never smoked) and countless miscellanea of things. This was the only and most interesting "office" I have never worked in. (I am a freelance composer)]

The work environment of Conlon Nancarrow occupies nearly a third of the
house itself. It is divided in three main rooms:

The studio (with complete sound-isolation. Includes the music-related library, two player pianos, his worktable and other different furniture, archives, work tools...)

The workshop (where he used to construct his player-piano-based
percussion instruments (ca. 1948) and punch his player-piano rolls)

The general-topics library, with a records section and a small sleeping room and "office".

Finally, there is also the "storeroom", behind the studio walls, which contains a good number of old
player-piano mechanisms (15?) and actions (10?), a considerable number of percussion instruments (Part of his mechanized percussion orchestra. Some of them were exposed at the UNAM-hommage
concert series curate by me),
a lot of trash, old recorded tapes, some desiccated marihuana he uses to
grow and
smoke with his friend John Langley
behind his studio (1) and other curative plants,
not at the exhibition.
There was also a wine cellar.

Although Mr. Nancarrow arrived in Mexico from the United States with a considerable number of books, the main part of his library was acquired
[in old book street markets
and specialized bookstores, there were some
very good at that time]
in Mexico City. His collection comprehends mainly books from the United States,
UK, France, Germany and Latin America, in quantitative order. Mr. Nancarrow was an insatiable reader. Around the 50's, he had subscribed to nearly twenty different magazines, mainly about music, science, philosophy and psychology. In the words of Peter Garland, he was perhaps one of the most informed composers of his generation; the word isolated then,
applied to him is truly pejorative. He was in touch with some heads of the modern-experimental American tradition of his former and actual generation: Cage, Carter, Cowell and Slonimisky among others. Most of them knew and recognized his talent and originality, as it is reflected in some of his correspondence.

Nancarrow divided his 6500
volumes library in two sections: the MUSIC SECTION and the GENERAL TOPICS SECTION. He decides to put all the music-related books INSIDE his studio. The organization in sections is original by Nancarrow, as I found it in the shelves.

2.4.1. Musical instruments. This "section" is not quite determined. In general, consist of percussion instruments, cymbals and drums. There still some instruments built by Mr. Nancarrow himself (ca.
1945-50).